VC Design Corner: Creative Tips

The VC Design Corner is a new space we're creating on our site. Its purpose is to help you with all your creative needs as you embark on the journey of creating your new jersey. Stay tuned, as we will be officially unveiling our new VC Design Corner soon!

Designing a jersey is a few things: exciting, creative, technical, and most importantly, not as easy as it looks! We asked the skilled designers in our office what general creative tips they would like to offer our readers, and here are a few of their nuggets of knowledge!

Katie's Advice

• To make sure your artwork looks good from a distance, view it at thumbnail size! Often contrast can get lost and you want your jersey to make an impact when viewed from the sideline.
• Keep it (relatively) simple. It's so easy to get carried away with all your ideas, colours, textures! Here's what I recommend: use 2-5 main colours; create your design around 1 base logo/theme; decide what the most important part of the jersey is. 
• Think about how the garment will be worn. A design can look really different when viewed flat compared to worn. What parts of the jersey will get covered by your armpits? How big will that logo be once it's on your chest? Which parts of the shorts are going to fall on the inside of your legs? These are all things to keep in mind.

This Denmark jersey is a culmination of a few tips: the design is simple yet intricate once you get closer; the pop of colour allows the design to stand out; and the focus is the text in the middle!

Adriana's Advice:

• Just because you can, doesn't mean you should. Some of the best designs are the most subtle. Take the time to flesh out your idea instead of throwing everything you can think of on a single jersey.
• Patterns are cool! 
• Don't be afraid to use colour! A nice colour accent can add a head-turning element to an otherwise simple jersey. 

Here's a great examples of a pop of colour! A classic white jersey with an accent of colour under the arm can create an awesome design, just like our SOTG Revolution Hoodie.

G's Advice:

• Think outside the box! There's a lot of jerseys out there, which means certain concepts have been done dozens of times already. For example, if you want to include a city skyline, how can you make it stand out from other jerseys featuring a similar concept? Will yours be monotone? 3D? Outlined? Have dragons perched on top of the buildings? 
• Keep a ruler handy for quick reference when deciding how big to make certain elements of your design, such as front logo, back name/number, etc. If you're not sure, look at prints on other shirts you own, or measure against yourself in a mirror.
• If you're designing for a team participating in either CUC, or a USAU or WFDF event, there are strict rules to follow regarding placement and size of names and numbers (ask us if you're unsure, we'll be happy to help!) We wrote a blog about the CUC regulations for jerseys, which you can find here!